Modified atmosphere packaging for transportation and ripening of bananas and plantains with extended quality preservation

ABSTRACT

A packaging apparatus suitable for containing and transporting a specified quantity of bananas or plantains includes a vented box and a plastic bag that includes laser microperforations located in target areas separated from each other by distances greater than their largest dimensions. When the bag is placed within the box, filled with bananas or plantains, and hermetically sealed, the microperforations and box vents allow for limited transmission of gases into and out of the bag to establish a modified atmosphere within the bag, and to allow ethylene ripening of the bananas or plantains. The target areas are located at the top of the bag, and also at the bottom of the bag, so that they are not occluded when the bananas or plantains are placed within the bag with their concave sides facing down.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/733,470, filed Mar. 3, 2010 which is a national phase application ofPCT application PCT/US2008/010209, filed on Aug. 28, 2008, which claimsthe priority of PCT application PCT/US2007/019277 filed on Sep. 4, 2007.All of these applications are herein incorporated by reference in theirentirety for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a method of packaging freshfruits, especially bananas and plantains. More particularly the presentinvention relates to a method to control banana and plantain quality bypackaging.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The quality and shelf life of fresh produce is enhanced by enclosingthem in packaging that modifies or controls the atmosphere surroundingthe product. The technology is referred to as MAP (modified atmospherepackaging) or CAP (controlled atmosphere packaging). MAP/CAP providesincreased quality and longer shelf life resulting in fresher productsfor the consumer, less waste from spoiled produce, better inventorycontrol, and appreciable overall savings for the food industry at boththe retail and wholesale levels.

CAP of fresh produce is just a more controlled version of MAP. Itinvolves a precise matching of packaging material gas transmission rateswith the respiration rates of the produce. The goal in fresh producepackaging is to use MAP/CAP to preserve produce quality by reducing theaerobic respiration rate but avoiding anaerobic processes that lead toadverse changes in texture, flavor, and aroma, as well as an increasedpublic health concern. For each respiring produce item, there is anoptimum O₂ and CO₂ level that will reduce its respiration rate andthereby, slow aging and degradation processes. Different fresh produceitems have different respiration rates and different optimum atmospheresfor extending quality and shelf life.

Bananas pose a unique challenge in MAP/CAP. There is a complex systemfor distributing bananas which involves harvesting the fruit when it isgreen, packing the green fruit in cartons, shipping the fruit to distantmarkets via ocean liners, initiating ripening at the receiving port bygassing the green fruit with ethylene, and after sufficient time isallowed for ripening, the fruit is shipped to the wholesale or retailmarkets.

Unlike bananas, plantains are sold both as unripe fruit, as well asripened yellow fruit in the supermarket. Providing ripened fruit to thewholesale or retail markets pose similar challenge as with bananas.

More bananas are consumed around the world than any other fruit.According to FAA, worldwide banana exports are valued at over $4.7billion per year. Large volumes of bananas are grown and harvested inSouth America, packed in 40 lb boxes with liners and shipped to ports inthe U.S., Europe, and Asia where they are gassed with ethylene toinitiate the ripening process. Costa Rica and Ecuador are the twolargest exporters of bananas.

Plantains are not as widely consumed fruit as bananas, but it hasestablished steady markets especially in the United States. Most of theplantains exported to the United States are shipped in 50 lb boxes fromSouth America.

In order to provide the consumers the best quality of bananas andplantains, the producers are constantly trying to find a technology thatwould provide maintenance of the green life of bananas during shippingand on the other hand uniform ripening and long yellow life. Banana orplantain green life and banana or plantain shelf life are two competingphysiological conditions. By drastically decreasing the oxygen contentgreen life is greatly increased. On the other hand ripening requiresethylene gas.

The currently available technology to maintain the green life whileshipping includes depriving oxygen from the bananas or plantains. Thismay take place, for example, by closing the bananas or plantains inplastic bags having low permeability to oxygen.

Several types of plastic bags have been tested with bananas in anattempt to control ripening and quality. Banavac bags are 1.0-1.5 milpolyethylene bags without holes and are used when green life extensionis needed and on vessels that do not have controlled atmosphere. Banavacbags must be torn open before the ripening cycle (ethylene gastreatment) can be initiated, because the gas does not penetrate the bag.The need to rip open the bags before gassing results in added laborcosts. Some Banavac bags have ripcords to make it easier to tear openthe bags, but easy tear bags do not maintain adequate modifiedatmospheres because they leak.

Polypack bags are 0.7 mil polyethylene (PE) bags with holes punched inthe bags. This bag is used in European markets under most conditions.These bags can not be used to delay ripening of the fruit or to extendthe shelf life of bananas because there is no control of the atmosphereinside this type of bag. Similarly, Tubopak bags have holes punched inthe bag so that no atmosphere control can be obtained.

Patent application publications WO 01/92118 A2, WO 03/043447 A1, and EP1 516827 A1 describe banana packaging consisting of a polymer-coatedmicroporous membrane applied over specifically sized holes in thecontainer. The breathable membrane controls the oxygen, carbon dioxide,and ethylene contents inside the package to control ripening (withoutopening the bag) and to extend the shelf life of bananas after ripening.The breathable patch is generally produced by normal plastic extrusionand orientation processes. By way of example, a highly filled, moltenplastic is extruded onto a chill roll and oriented in the machinedirection using a series of rollers that decrease the thickness of theweb. During orientation, micropores are created in the film at the siteof the filler particles. Next, the microporous film is converted intopressure sensitive adhesive patches or heat-seal coated patches usingnarrow web printing presses that apply a pattern of adhesive over themicroporous web and die-cut the film into individual patches on a roll.These processes typically make the cost of each patch too expensive forthe wide spread use of this technology in the marketplace, particularlyfor cost-sensitive produce items like bananas or plantains.

In addition, the banana or plantain packer has to apply theadhesive-coated breathable patch over a hole made in the primarypackaging material (bag) during the packaging operation. To do this, thepacker must purchase hole-punching and label application equipment toinstall on each packaging equipment line. These extra steps not onlyincrease packaging equipment costs, but also greatly reduce packagingspeeds, increase packaging material waste, and therefore, increase totalpackaging costs.

Microporous material can be used only as patches on the packagesbasically due to two reasons: 1) high cost of the material and 2) thematerial is inherently opaque thereby allowing inspection of the packedmaterial only when applied as patches. Specifically related to banana orplantain packaging, the microporous material has to be attached only toa limited area in order to be able to control the atmosphere inside thebag. If the bag would be made fully out of the microporous material thetotal OTR of the bag would be much too high, resulting in ambient airconditions (20.9% O2/0.03% CO2) inside the bag. This would prevent thecontrolled ripening of the bananas or plantains and yellow lifeextension.

An alternative to microporous patches for MAP/CAP of bananas orplantains is to microperforate polymeric packaging materials. Variousmethods can be used to microperforate packaging materials: cold or hotneedle mechanical punches, electric spark and lasers. Mechanical punchesare slow and often produce numerous large perforations (1 mm or larger)throughout the surface area of the packaging material, making itunlikely that the atmosphere inside the package will be modified belowambient air conditions (20.9% O₂, 0.03% CO₂). Equipment for sparkperforation of packaging materials is not practical for most plasticconverting operations, because the packaging material is typicallysubmerged in either an oil bath or a water bath while the electricalpulses are generated to microperforate the material.

The most efficient and practical method for making microperforatedpackaging materials for controlled atmosphere packaging of fresh produceis using lasers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,699, UK Patent Application 2 221692 A, and European Patent Application 0 351 116 describes a method ofpackaging plant material using perforated polymer films having 10 to1000 perforations per m² (1550 per in²) with mean diameters of 40 to 60microns but not greater than 100 microns. The references recommend theuse of lasers for creating the perforations, but do not describe theequipment or processes necessary to accomplish this task. They describethe limits of the gas transmission rates of the perforated film: OTR(oxygen transmission rate) no greater than 200,000 cc/m²-day-atm (12,903cc O₂/100 in²-day-atm), and MVTR (moisture vapor transmission rate) nogreater than 800 g/m²-day-atm (51.6 g/100 in²-day-atm). However, the OTRof a film does not define the total O₂ Flux (cc O₂/day-atm) needed by afresh produce package to maintain a desired O₂ and CO2 internalatmosphere based on the respiration rate of the specific produce item,the weight of the produce enclosed in the package, the surface area ofthe package, and the storage temperature. A 50-micron perforation has avery small surface area (1.96×10⁻⁹ m²) and a low O₂ Flux (about 80cc/day-atm) compared to its very high OTR (>200,000 cc O₂₁ m²-day-atm).Therefore, one 50-micron perforation would exceed the OTR limit of thisinvention. Furthermore, since the microperforations placed throughoutthe length and width of the packaging and are not registered in awell-defined area on the packaging, they can be easily occluded duringpack out, shipment or display by produce, adjacent bags, or marketinglabels applied on the package. The result is a wide variability in thegas transmission rates of the packaging materials.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,441,340, 6,730,874, and 7,083,837 disclose amicroperforated packaging material, where the microperforations arespecifically tailored in size, location and number for the specificproduce to maintain pre-selected O₂ and CO₂ concentrations. The methodto make registered microperforations according to these patents uses aCO₂ laser and a sensor mechanism.

Microperforated packaging material can be used successfully to controlthe O₂ and CO₂ concentrations inside fresh produce packaging. However,the fact that the microperforations are through holes or drill holesthrough the material would suggest that the material is not at allfunctional for banana packaging. This is for two reasons: one wouldexpect that the holes would provide an easy access for microorganismsinto the package and secondly, one would expect that the material wouldnot effectively prevent dehydration of the bananas. It also seems thatthe packing into bags according to this disclosure have a twofold effecton disease development: Infections that have occurred after cutting (inthe field) and during the washing/packing operations are unable todevelop further due to direct action of high CO₂ inhibiting fungalgrowth, and indirect effect of high H₂O reduces the severity ofsymptoms.

The concern of the access of microorganisms into the banana or plantainpackage is a real one, as one of the main problems with banana andplantain shipping is infection of the fruit by crown rot disease. Crownrot is a pathological disease caused by a fungal complex (species ofFusarium, Penicillium and Colletotrichum) and, although infection occursduring harvesting and packing, symptoms may not be obvious until afterripening.

Accordingly, currently available technologies provide materials forgenerally packaging fresh fruits. Moreover, currently availabletechnologies provide materials to specifically pack bananas forshipping. Even if microporous membranes are capable of controlling theripening of bananas or plantains, there is a clear need for a cheapertechnology. Other currently available banana or plantain packagingtechnologies leave such unresolved problems as uneven ripening, andexposure of the bananas or plantains to post harvest diseases duringshipping.

What is needed to address the shortcomings in current banana/plantainpackaging is an efficient and less costly system to produce MAP/CAPpackaging for bananas and plantains. There is a clear need for a systemthat would allow for transmission of oxygen, carbon dioxide, andethylene gases into and out of the packaging for optimum qualitypreservation of the bananas or plantains in terms of green life,ripening rate, and extended shelf life. Moreover, there is a need for asystem ensuring uniformity of banana and plantain quality with regard toripening and shelf life. Even further there is a clear need for a systemthat would prevent post-harvest diseases and retain the fresh weight ofthe bananas and plantains during transport and storage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the apparatus of this invention provides lasermicroperforated banana and plantain bags having registeredmicroperforation arrays to allow for transmission of oxygen, carbondioxide, and ethylene gases into and out of the packaging for optimumquality preservation of the fruit.

An object of the present invention is to provide a package and a methodto pack fresh bananas or plantain to improve even ripening of the fruit.The features and advantages described herein are not all-inclusive and,in particular, many additional features and advantages will be apparentto one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings,specification, and claims. Moreover, it should be noted that thelanguage used in the specification has been principally selected forreadability and instructional purposes, and not to limit the scope ofthe inventive subject matter.

Another object of the invention is to provide means to evenly controlgreen life and yellow life of bananas and plantains. Yet another objectof the invention is to provide a package that controls dehydration ofthe bananas and plantains while transported or in storage. An evenfurther object of the invention is to provide a package that reducescrown mold and pedicel withering of packaged bananas or plantains duringtransport and storage. Still another object of the invention is toprovide a method to insert the bananas or plantains into the bagswithout breaking the package and thereby losing the advantage of thespecifically designed bags.

The features and advantages described herein are not all-inclusive and,in particular, many additional features and advantages will be apparentto one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings,specification, and claims. Moreover, it should be noted that thelanguage used in the specification has been principally selected forreadability and instructional purposes, and not to limit the scope ofthe inventive subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be readily understood by the followingdetailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1. Illustrates gas contents (O₂, CO₂, and ethylene) insidemicroperforated banana bags during storage, before and after ethylenegassing;

FIG. 2. Illustrates ripening cycle of bananas packed in either Polypackbags, Banavac bags or registered microperforated bags after ethylene gastreatment. Day 0 marks the end of ethylene gas treatment. The total O₂flux of the RMP1 bags was 47,844 cc/day-atm while the total O₂ flux ofRMP2 bags was 59,805 cc/day-atm;

FIG. 3 illustrates microperforations registered in a 40-lb polyethylenebanana bag according to this disclosure (38.5″ wide×50.5″ long×1.5 mil)at 2″ and 26″ up from the bottom seal and 19″ from the edge.Microperforations are in both the front face and the back face so thereare 4 locations (2 front, 2 back) per bag;

FIG. 4 illustrates microperforations registered in a 40-lb polyethylenebanana bag according to this disclosure (38.5″ wide×48″ long×1.5 mil) at4 locations per side: 2 locations at 1.25″ up from the bottom seal and12.5″ from each side and 2 locations at 26.5″ up from the bottom sealand 12.5″ from each side; and

FIG. 5. Illustrates microperforations registered in a 50-lb polyethyleneplantain bag according to this disclosure (38″ wide×35″ long×1.5 mil) at4 locations per side: two location at 1″ up from the bottom seal and twolocations 17″ up from the bottom seal and 12.5″ from the left and rightside of the bag.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Currently available technology for banana and plantain packagingprovides solutions that are either expensive (microporous membranetechnology) or insufficient to meet the specific needs related to fruitripening (Banavac bags or Tubopac bags). Therefore, this disclosureaddresses these problems and the invention according to this disclosureprovides a method to pack bananas and plantains, a method to extend thegreen life and the shelf life of bananas and plantains, and a method toimprove the quality of the bananas and plantains.

Definitions

Green life is defined as the period of time from harvest until ripeningis induced (naturally or artificially).

Shelf life of bananas is defined as the time, after ethylene treatment,until the banana peel shows sugar spots (color stage 7).

Banana and plantain color is described in stages by the industry. Acolor stage of 3.5 to 5 is preferred for bananas placed on sale atretail. At color stage 3, bananas and plantains are 50% yellow and 50%green. At a color stage of 5, bananas and plantains are 95% yellow withslight green color at stem and blossom end.

Registered microperforation means laser perforations registered in awell-defined area(s) of the package. Each microperforation has apreferred average diameter between 110 and 400 microns, and morepreferably for bananas between 150-235 microns.

In this disclosure, the units applied to the term used in reference tothe O₂, transmission rates of a packaging material, i.e., “OTR isexpressed as cc/m²-day-atmosphere (or cc/100 in²-day-atm) at 25° C., 75%RH”. In the pressure units, one atmosphere (atm) is 101,325 kg/ms².Another unit describing the flow of a particular gas through a packagingmaterial is “Flux”, expressed as cc/day-atm. The Total O₂ Flux of amicroperforated package is the sum of the O₂ Flux of the base material(e.g. polyethylene) and the O₂ Flux of the microperforations. Themoisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) of a material is expressed as gH₂O/m²-day-atm or g/100 in²-day-atm.

The invention is now illustrated further by non-limiting examples.

Example 1: Registered Microperforations Provide a Package that does nothave to be Ripped Open to Initiate the Ripening Cycle

A small scale study was conducted on packaged 40-lb bananas sealed inregistered microperforated bags. The 1.0 mil polyethylene (PE) bags were40.5″ wide and 48.5″ long. The bag material can also be selected frompolypropylene, polyester, nylon, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride,polylactic acid in monolayers, coextrusions, and laminates.Microperforations (225 microns in diameter) were drilled into the frontand back panels of the bags and were registered at 11.5″ down from theopen end and 19.5″ from either side. The total O₂ flux of the bag (basePE film+microperforations) was 61,283 cc/day-atm. The objective was tomonitor the gas composition inside the bags during simulated shiptransport (3 weeks at 14 C) and after gassing with ethylene for 24 hrs.

FIG. 1 shows the O₂, CO₂, and ethylene (C₂H₄) contents inside thesemicroperforated banana bags. After about 24 hrs, the bananas consumedenough O₂ and produced enough CO₂ to create a modified atmosphere insidethe bags, i.e. about 15% O₂ and 3% CO₂. Levels of ethylene beforegassing were low; ranging from 1-3 ppm. Within 24 hrs of gassing thefruit with 1000 ppm ethylene (C₂H₄), ethylene content inside the bagsrose to about 600 ppm. These data clearly indicate that ethylene canenter the bags via the microperforations, making it unnecessary to ripopen the bag to initiate ripening. After the ripening room was vented,the levels of C₂H₄ in the bags rapidly dropped to 150 ppm and then toabout 3 ppm during continued storage.

Concomitant with the surge of ethylene into the bags, respiration rateof the bananas increases as evidenced by the decrease in O₂ and increasein CO₂ levels inside the bags. During this ripening process O₂ levelsdropped to 5-6% and CO₂ levels rose as high as 14%. These reduced O₂levels and elevated CO₂ levels will slow ripening rates and account forslower color development in bananas stored in modified atmospherescompared to those stored in ambient air.

Example 2: Green Life of Bananas can be Increased and Ripening Delayedby Packing in Registered Microperforated Bag

In order to test whether packing bananas in registered microperforatedbags would increase the green life and delay ripening we conducted thistest and compared effects of three package types. Forty-lb boxes ofgreen bananas packed in one of three types of bags were held at 18° C.The bag types were Polypack bag, Banavac bag and Registeredmicroperforated bag with one location of microperforations per side.Microperforations were drilled into PE bags (40.5″ wide×48.5″ L×1 milthick), registering the microperforations 17″ down from the open end and19.5″ from the side. Front and back panels of the bags had the samenumber and placement of microperforations. Registered microperforatedbags tested were one of two total O₂ fluxes: 47,844 cc/day-atm (referredto at RMP1) and 59,805 cc/day-atm (referred to as RMP2). The twodifferent O₂ fluxes were made by varying the number and/or size of themicroperforations drilled into the PE, with the average size ofmicroperforations being 225 microns.

The time required for the first cluster to ripen was recorded. This timewas considered the end of “green life” for those bananas. Table 1 showsthe green life (days) for bananas packed in Polypack, Banavac, andregistered microperforated bags.

TABLE 1 Green life of bananas packed in different bags. Average GreenGreen Life Bag Type Life (days) Range (days) Polypack 21 14-26 Banavac47 32-59 Registered 33 27-38 Microperforated Bags

Banana green life and banana shelf life are two competing physiologicalconditions. By drastically decreasing the oxygen content in the bag, asthe Banavac bag does, green life is greatly increased; 26 days overbananas held in ambient air (Polypack bags) (Table 1). However, unlessthe Banavac bags are torn open, the bananas will not ripen. In contrast,bananas sealed in registered microperforated bags showed an increase ingreen life by 12 days (up to 57% increase) compared to Polypack bananas.Bananas in RMP1 and RMP2 bags gave similar green lives.

Unlike unopened bananas in Banavac bags, during the ripening cycle(ethylene gas treatment) bananas in the sealed microperforated bagscarried on normal ripening to a color stage of 3.5 without opening thebags while Polypack bags reached a color stage of 4.5 in the same timeperiod as can be seen in FIG. 2. Therefore, it is clear thatmicroperforated bags delayed the ripening of the fruit. Furthermore,unlike the green life results where the O₂ fluxes of RMP1 and RMP2 bagshad similar effects on green life even though the RMP2 flux was 20%higher than RMP1, O₂ flux did affect the ripening rate of bananas as canbe seen in FIG. 2.

When the gassed bananas were held at 22° C. to simulate storageconditions at the retail store, bananas in Banavac bags did not ripen atall. In fact, Banavac bananas produced soft green bananas after 4 days.Polypack bananas reached a color stage of 7 after 4 days post-ripening,compared to bananas in registered microperforated bags which changed toa color stage of 5 after days. Therefore, post-ripening studies showthat registered microperforated bags delay ripening, increasing theshelf life of bananas compared to Polypack and Banavac bags.

Example 3: Shipping Test Shows that Microperforations Become OccludedDuring Pack-Out Procedures

Based on the results of the laboratory tests of Examples 1 and 2 above,we designed a shipping test to compare the effects of packing bananas inregistered microperforated bags (one microperforation location) versuspacking them in Polypack bags. The PE bag composition, dimensions,microperforation number and registration location and the total O₂ fluxof the bags were the same as given in Example 1 above.

Four pallets of each bag type were packed out in South America andshipped to a U. S. port for evaluation. Once the bananas arrived at theport, they were placed in ethylene gassing chambers and gassed for 24hrs and then placed in storage rooms at 14.4° C. for 8 days.

Table 2 shows the gas contents inside the various packages and the colorrange developed by bananas in those packages 8 days after gassing. Therewas a wide variability in the oxygen and carbon dioxide contents insidemicroperforated bags, suggesting that the microperforations wereoccluded in some bags during the pack-out procedures.

TABLE 2 Headspace gas content and color development in 40-lb banana bags8 days after gassing with ethylene. Box # % 02/% CO2 Color Range After 8days 1 12.9/5.7  4.0-5.0 2 0.5/10.3 2.0-2.5 3 2.2/10.4 2.0-2.5 41.2/10.0 2.5-3.0 5 1.4/10.2 2.5-3.0 6 0.7/10.2 2.0-4.0 7 6.2/8.6 2.0-3.0 8 0.9/9.9  2.5-4.0 9 5.6/9.1  3.5-4.0 10 1.3/9.3  2.0-2.5 110.5/10.2 2.0-2.5 Control Ambient air 5.0-5.5 Control Ambient air 5.0-5.5Control Ambient air 5.5-6.0

When the oxygen and carbon dioxide contents inside microperforated bagswere 12.9 and 5.7%, respectively, the banana color range was 4.0-5.0which is 1 to 1.5 units lower than the range for banana in control bags.The controls were at a color stage of 5.5 to 6.0. Such reduction incolor stage development by the test bags is desirable if these valuesare consistent. However, microperforated bags with oxygen contents of 1%or less and carbon dioxide contents of 8% or more, produced bananas withcolor ranges of 2.0 to 2.5, and some bags with carbon dioxide valuesgreater than 10% produced soft green fruit, an undesirable situation.Again, the data suggested that the microperforations were occludedduring pack-out.

Example 4: Location of Microperforations on the Banana Bag Affects ColorDevelopment

In order to solve the problems indicated in the previous example weconducted several studies to determine the effect of microperforationlocation on banana color development. All bags tested had the sameoxygen flux, but different microperforation locations. In some bags, themicroperforations were located in one location near the top center ofthe bag and on both front and back panels. In other bags,microperforations were placed in two locations near the bottom of thebag which would correspond to the location of the side vent holes in thecarton. Bananas packed in these bags were held for two weeks at 14.4° C.before exposing to ethylene gas ripening cycle of five days. As wasdemonstrated before, bananas inside microperforated bags had a color of2.5 to 3 after the ripening cycle compared to a color of about 4 forPolypack bags and opened Banavac bags. This demonstrated, once more,that the microperforations allowed ethylene gas to penetrate the bagsand initiate ripening, although the ripening was delayed compared tocontrols. Furthermore, Table 3 shows that fruit in microperforated bagsdeveloped color more slowly during after-gassing storage studies at 18°C. Polypack and Banavac bananas (after the Banavac bags were ripped openso ripening could occur) changed from a color of 4 to 5 after 1 day to acolor of 6 after 6 days at 18° C. Bananas in bags with onemicroperforation location at the top of the bag had a wide range ofcolors stages (3.5 to 5 after 6 days), while bananas in bags with twomicroperforation locations placed at the bottom of the bag near thecarton vent holes showed more uniform color development, with colors of3.5-4.0, than bananas in bags with one microperforation location. In allmicroperforated bags, shelf life was increased compared to bananas inPolypack and Banavac bags.

TABLE 3 Color development in banana clusters 1, 4 and 6 days aftergassing with ethylene. % CLUSTER BAG TYPE DAY CLUSTERS COLOR Polypack 161% 4.0-5.0 4 81% 5.0-5.5 6 64% 6.0 Banavac 1 50% 4.5 4 48% 5.5 6 60%6.0 RMP*Bags1 1 48% 3.0 microperf 4 51% 3.0-5.0 location/side at the 658% 3.5-5.0 top RMP* Bags 1 63% 3.0 2 microperf 4 60% 3.5 locations/sideat the 6 85% 3.5-4.0 bottom of the bag at the bottom *RegisteredMicroperforated Bag

The need for more than one microperforation location in banana bags wasdemonstrated in another ship test of 40-lb bananas packaged in S. A. andshipped to the U.S. Whenever the microperforations were located only inthe bottom of the bag, the bananas in the bottom portion of the bag(after the ripening cycle) developed desirable color stages while thebananas at the top of the bag (in the same box) remained green.Conversely, when the microperforations were located only at the top ofthe bag, the bananas at the top developed desirable color stages whilethose at the bottom remained green. However, with two microperforationarrays per side in the bags, one at the top and one at the bottom, moreuniform color development occurred throughout the bag.

When packing the bananas in boxes the bag must be carefully placed inthe box so that the microperforation zone will be aligned with the ventsin the bottom and top of the box. Importantly, boxes where bananas arepacked in bags according to this invention can be stored on pallet forup to two days, because the modified atmosphere in the bags slows themetabolic rate of the bananas and thus reduces generation of heat. Incontrast, boxes with bananas in Banavac bags must be de-palletized andair-stacked because the heat released by the ripening fruit inside theBanavac bag causes the fruit to become soft.

In order to minimize risk of breaking (puncturing) the microperforatedbag, and to provide cushioning for the bananas, the following method wasfound preferable for packing: A heavy weight piece of paper (tunnel pad)is placed in the bottom of the box followed by the plastic bag.

The tunnel pad is perforated in the area that is placed over the venthole in the bottom of the box. Banana clusters (concave side down) arearranged in the box in four rows of approximately five clusters per row.The first row is set next to one of the long sides of the box, whichallows room for the second row to be put on top of the first row butoffset to the opposite long side of the box. The plastic bag is pulledup and over the tunnel pad and this triple layer of packing material isfolded over the first two rows of fruit. This folding creates a pocketto hold the third row of fruit as well as creating a cushion thatreduces bruising. Similarly, the bag and tunnel pad are pulled over thesecond and third rows of fruit to create a pocket into which the fourthrow of fruit is packed. The remaining bag material is gathered togetherand pushed through the vent hole in the box lid as the upper half of thebox is slipped over the lower half. Air is extracted from the bag with avacuum cleaner; the bag is twisted, folded over on itself and wrappedseveral times with a strong rubber band to seal it.

Example 5: Importance of Leak-Free (Hermetic) Seals in MaintainingDesired Gas Atmospheres Inside Banana Bags

It is important to have hermetic seals in packaged bananas to attainconsistent control of the atmosphere inside. Variable leakage rate atthe seal or through punctures in the bags produces variable results. Inthis study with 3-lb microperforated banana bags, we found that themethod used to close the bag greatly affected the O₂ and CO₂ contentsinside the bags (Table 4). Bags that were tape-closed using a pressuresensitive adhesive-coated plastic tape, produced mainly leaky bags withO₂ levels averaging 17%. In contrast, a rubber-band closure techniquewhere the neck of the bag is twisted, folded over, and secured with arubber band yielded an average O₂ content of 14%. Clearly, bettercontrol of the atmosphere inside the package was achieved by executing atight (hermetic) seal using the rubber band technique. Hermetic bagseals can be attained by a number of other methods besides a rubber-bandclosure technique described here. For example, heat-sealing the bag willprovide a hermetic seal.

TABLE 4 Effect of bag closure method on headspace gas contents (at 13.3°C.) inside 3-lb microperforated banana bags before ethylene gassing.Tape Closure Rubber Band Closure O₂ CO₂ O₂ CO₂ 15.6 1.4 15.4 1.5 17.60.3 15.0 1.8 17.8 0.2 14.7 2.5 18.1 0.2 13.9 2.1 16.4 1.1 14.3 2.1 16.31.2 14.6 2.1 16.0 1.2 9.7 2.3 16.5 1.1 12.4 2.5 17.2 0.4 15.0 2.0 18.80.1 15.1 1.9 Mean ± std. dev. Mean ± std. dev 17.0 ± 1.0 1.8 ± 0.5 14.0± 1.7 2.1 ± 0.3

Example 6: Effects on Ripening and Shelf Life, and Unexpected Effect ofMicroperforations on Crown Mold and Pedicel Withering

Ship Test: Tubopak v. Registered Microperforated Bags for 40 lb Bananas.The objective of this study was to determine the effects of bag type(registered microperforated v. Tubopack) on the quality of 40 lbbananas, before gassing and after gassing. Tubopack bags have 84, ½″diameter holes. Polyethylene bags (1.5 mil, 38.5″ wide×50.5″ long) werelaser microperforated with 225-230 micron holes in specific areas on thebag as depicted in FIG. 3. These microperforated bags had 4microperforation locations, 2 sets in the front of the bag and 2 sets inthe back of the bag. For both the front and the back of the bag, thefirst set of microperforations was placed 26″ up from bottom seal andthe second set was placed 2″ up from the bottom seal. The total O₂ fluxof the bags averaged 82,294 cc/day-atm.

Once the microperforated bags were filled with bananas and the bag wasintertwined among the different layers of bananas, the bags were sealedby first gathering all comers of the bag together, twisting them into a“neck”, folding over the neck, and securing with a rubber band.

Headspace Analysis on Bananas before Gassing:

The bananas arrived at a California port and were discharged within 1 to2 days. Headspace (O₂/CO₂) readings were taken on registeredmicroperforated bags approximately 9 days after the bananas' arrival tothe port. The bananas were stored at 13.3° C. before measuring the gascontents inside the bag headspace. Headspace analysis (O₂ and CO₂contents) was done on boxes on two different pallets.

TABLE 5 Headspace gas readings (at 13.3° C.) in registeredmicroperforated bag containing 40-lb bananas (before ethylene treatment)Location of Box on Pallet Headspace % 02/% C02 4M (front) 15.6/5.9 4L(back) 15.7/5.8 4L (front) 16.3/5.5 5R (back) 16.4/6.1 5R (front)15.1/6.3 5M (back) 15.5/5.8 5M (front) 15.7/5.6 5L (back) 16.7/5.3 5L(front) 15.1/6.3 6R (back) 15.5/6.3 6R (front) 16.0/5.5 6M (back)16.5/4.5 6M (front) 13.8/6.8 6L (back) 16.6/4.9 6L (front) 16.5/5.6 7R(back) 16.3/5.0 7R (front) 14.9/6.7 7M (fback) 16.7/5.5 7M (front)15.4/6.2 7L (back) 16.1/6.1

Table 5 shows the O₂ and CO₂ content of boxes packed with bananas inmicroperforated bags before gassing. The readings were very consistentwith O₂ levels around 16% and CO₂ levels between 5% and 7% beforegassing with ethylene.

After opening representative control and registered microperforatedbanana bags, we observed that bananas in the registered microperforatedbags maintained moisture levels better than bananas in the Tubopackbags. Tubopack bags caused significant moisture loss, and this wasexpected since they have 84, ½″ diameter holes. Banavac bags don't haveholes so they would maintain the moisture content. However, theyundoubtedly retain too much moisture inside the bag which could lead tocrown mold. The moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) of themicroperforated bags is far greater than that of the Banavac bag. MVTRsof a 1 mil HDPE Banavac bag is less than 1 g H₂O/100 in²-day while theMVTR of microperforated bags is in excess of 100 g H₂O/100 in²-day,regardless of bag thickness. Obviously, water vapor can ready passthrough the microperforations to reduce the concentration of moistureinside the bag. At the same size hole, the more microperforations, thehigher the MVTR. The key is to allow some moisture vapor escape toreduce the growth of mold, but at the same time maintain enough moistureinside the bag to prevent dehydration.

Headspace Analysis on Bananas after Gassing: Bananas were gassed for 24hours, at 15.5 C, and headspace readings were taken. Again, readingswere taken from boxes on two different pallets.

TABLE 6 Headspace gas readings (at 15.50 C.) in registeredmicroperforated bags containing 40 lb bananas (after ethylene treatment)Location of Box on Pallet Headspace % O₂/% CO₂ 1R (Back) 4.9/21.5 1R(front) 12.8/10.3  1M (back) 3.5/22.3 1M (front) 12.7/11.4  1L (back)4.1/28.0 1L (front) 11.4/13.4  2R (back) 1.5/23.5 2R (front) 7.2/17.5 2M(back) 2.9/22.8 2M (front) 6.1/19.0 2L (back) 3.0/23.8 2L (front)5.8/21.2 3R (back) 7.8/15.1 3R (front) 4.8/20.9 3M (back) 3.6/21.3 3M(front) 17.4/3.7  3L (back) 4.8/19.7 3L (front) 2.9/21.5 4R (back)3.7/22.3 4R (front) 4.5/21.7

Table 6 shows O₂ and CO₂ levels inside the 40-lb microperforated bananabags after gassing with ethylene. The levels of O₂ varied from <1% to17% with most readings between 3% and 5%. The few unusually high O₂reading may be due to a poor seal, resulting in an increased flux of O₂into the bag. Those readings with O₂ less than 1% may be due tomicroperforation occlusion.

The levels of CO₂ varied from 4% to 24% with the majority of the readingbetween 20% and 23%. We would expect to see a reduction in O₂ levels andan increase in CO₂ levels after gassing, because ethylene increases therespiration rate of the bananas.

It appears that, in this study most of the seals were good, because theywere secured with a rubber band.

After gassing, the bananas in registered microperforated bags wereapproximately 1.5 stages behind the control (Tubopack) bananas. Bananaspackaged in registered microperforated bags were not as ripe ascontrols, averaging a color stage of 2.5 to 3. In addition, bananas inregistered microperforated bags were more uniform in color than controlbananas which averaged 3 to 5 color stage (Tables 7 and 8).

More moisture was maintained inside the registered microperforated bagsthan with the Tubopack bags, and this, undoubtedly, may have helped toprevent withered pedicels during storage (Tables 7 and 8). Bananas inregistered microperforated bags showed no withered pedicels whilecontrols averaged 9-11% withered pedicels in the light, moderate andsevere ranges.

Based on the data collected during this ship test, the use of registeredmicroperforated bags with microperforations in four locations (2 infront and 2 in back) helped to eliminate the non-uniformity of ripeningthat was observed when only two microperforation locations were used.The twist and tie rubber band closure technique eliminated many of the“leakers” that were observed with tape closures. Compared to Tubopackcontrol bags, the benefits of controlling the atmosphere usingregistered microperforated bags include: a reduction in the rate ofcolor development, a reduction in moisture loss, and a reduction incrown mold and pedicel withering

TABLE 7 Banana quality in Registered Microperforated Bags after gassingCrown Mold (%) Withered Pedicels (%) Sample OCA Clusters L M S L M SColor Latex 1 2.8 18.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.5 33.3 2 2.6 19.0 0.00.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.5 10.5 3 2.5 17.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.5-3.017.6 4 2.5 17.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.5-3.0 41.2 Average 2.60 17.80.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.5-3.0 25.4 L: Light, M: Moderate; S: Severe

TABLE 8 Banana quality in Tubopack (control) after gassing Crown Mold(%) Withered Pedicels (%) Sample OCA Clusters L M S L M S Color Latex 13.0 16.0 31.3 6.3 18.8 12.5 6.3 12.5 3-5 43.8 2 2.5 17.0 23.5 11.8 29.45.9 17.6 11.8 3-5 23.5 3 3.2 15.0 20.0 20.0 46.7 13.3 20.0 13.3 3-6 33.34 2.8 16.0 25.0 12.5 0.0 12.5 0.0 0.0 3-5 25.0 Average 2.88 16.0 25.012.5 23.4 10.9 10.9 9.4 3-5 31.3

Example 7: Effects of More than Two Microperforation Locations in BananaBags on Uniformity of Banana Ripening

The effects on uniformity of banana ripening of including more than 2microperforation locations per bag side was studied in a large ship testfrom South America. Forty-lb banana bags (1.5 mil PE, 38.5″ wide×48″ L)were microperforated with 225 micron holes at 4 locations in the frontpanel and 4 locations in the back panel. The total 02 flux of these bagswas the same as the bags in Example 6 above, i.e., 82,294 cc/day-atm.However, the total flux was divided into 4 microperforationlocations/side rather than 2/side as in the previous example, FIG. 4gives the target locations of the microperforations in these bags.

Using 4 microperforation locations/side improved the uniformity ofbanana ripening compared to only 2 microperforation locations/side.Bananas in bags with two microperforation locations/side showed colorstages from 2.5-4.0 after ethylene ripening (Table 9). In contrast,bananas in bags with 4 microperforation locations/side showed a narrowercolor range of 3.0-4.0 after ripening. The data also show that colordevelopment during storage at room temperature was delayed by 1 to 1.5stages for bananas packaged in microperforated bags compared to controlpackaged (Tubopack) bananas. Furthermore, bananas packaged inmicroperforated bags, unlike those packed in Tubopack bags, did not showdehydration, crown rot, yellow crown and withered pedicels duringstorage, indicating an improved shelf life for bananas stored inmicroperforated bags.

TABLE 9 Banana color after ripening and storage at room temperature Daysafter ripening Bag Type 0 1 2 3 4 Tubopack (SOP) 4.0 (Range = 3-5) 5.05.5 6.5 — MP-2 locations 3.0 (2.5-4.0) 3.5 4.0 5.0 6.5 MP-4 locations3.5 (3.0-4.0) 4.0 4.5 5.5 7.0 *Note: Dehydration, crown rot, yellowcrown and withered pedicel were observed in SOP bag but not in the MP(microperforated) bags

Example 8: The Weight of Bananas to be Enclosed in the Bag Determinesthe Number of Microperforations in the Bag and MicroperforationLocations

For some retail applications, it may be desirable to market a singlebanana (a finger) enclosed inside a small microperforated bag. Thenumber of microperforations needed to control the quality of a singlebanana in a bag is far less than required by 40-lbs of bananas in a bag.

A study was conducted to determine if registered microperforated bagswould be useful in controlling the quality of single bananas in a 1.25mil PE bag 3″ wide×11.25″ long. Four, 150-micron microperforations weredrilled into each side of the bag at a location of 5″ up from the bottomseal. The total O₂ Flux of the bag was 1920 cc/day-atm. Naked (nopackaging) single finger bananas showed a color stage of 5.0 after theripening cycle (Day 0) compared to a color stage of 4.0 for thosepackaged in the microperforated bag (Table 10). In addition, there wasdelayed color development for bananas packaged in the microperforatedbag compared to the naked bananas after 2 and 4 days storage at roomtemperature. Therefore, the microperforated bags extended the shelf lifeof the single finger bananas compared to no packaging.

TABLE 10 Banana color after opening and storage at room temperature Daysafter ripening Type of Packaging 0 1 2 3 4 No Packaging- Naked 5.0 — 6.5— — Single Finger Banana Single Finger Banana 4.0 — 5.0 — 6.5

Example 9: Plantain Fruits Ripen Uniformly in 50-Lb Microperforated Bags

Green plantain fruits were packed in microperforated bags designed for50 lb of plantains. The bag material was 1.5 mil thick PE Blend with anoxygen transmission rate of 350 cc 02/100 in² day-atm. Bag dimensionswere 38″ wide and 35″ long. Each bag had four positions ofmicroperforations on each side of the bag. FIG. 5 shows the locations ofthe microperforations.

Two set of microperforations were drilled into the front and back panelsof the plantain bag at the following locations: 1″ up and 17″ up fromthe bottom seal of the bag and 12.5″ from each bag side (FIG. 5). Eachmicroperforation had an average diameter of 225-230 microns. The totalO₂ Flux of the bag was 82,294 cc/day-atm, which is the same O₂ Flux thatwas used for 40 lbs bananas. Besides the differences in the fruit weightgoing into the bag (50 lbs plantain v. 40 lbs bananas), there is adifference in microperforation placement on the bag (cf. FIGS. 4 and 5).

With the appropriate microperforation number and placement, plantainfruits ripened uniformly in these hermetically closed bags to colorstage 3-4. Plantains in registered microperforated bags did not showcrown rot, yellow crown or withered pedicels during storage, indicatingan improved shelf life for plantains stored in microperforated bags.

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has beenpresented for the purposes of illustration and description. Each andevery page of this submission, and all contents thereon, howevercharacterized, identified, or numbered, is considered a substantive partof this application for all purposes, irrespective of form or placementwithin the application. This specification is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Manymodifications and variations are possible in light of this disclosure.

Although the present application is shown in a limited number of forms,the scope of the invention is not limited to just these forms, but isamenable to various changes and modifications without departing from thespirit thereof. The disclosure presented herein does not explicitlydisclose all possible combinations of features that fall within thescope of the invention. The features disclosed herein for the variousembodiments can generally be interchanged and combined into anycombinations that are not self-contradictory without departing from thescope of the invention. In particular, the limitations presented independent claims below can be combined with their correspondingindependent claims in any number and in any order without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure, unless the dependent claims are logicallyincompatible with each other.

I claim:
 1. A packaging apparatus containing bananas or plantains, andsuitable for both ripening and extending the shelf life of said bananasor plantains, the apparatus comprising: a box; a plastic bag placedwithin the box, said plastic bag having a bottom at a closed distal endthereof, and a sealed top at a proximal end thereof; and a plurality ofbananas or plantains contained within the plastic bag and positionedhaving their concave sides facing down toward a bottom of the box; saidplastic bag being penetrated by laser microperforations located only ina distributed plurality of target areas on the plastic bag, each of saidtarget areas including a plurality of said microperforations, each ofsaid target areas being separated from all neighboring target areas bydistances that are greater than the target area's largest dimension,each of said microperforations having an average diameter of between 100microns and 400 microns; said target areas including target areaslocated at both the bottom and the top of the plastic bag, wherein thetarget areas at the bottom of the plastic bag are provided in locationsthat are not occluded by said bananas or plantains; and each of saidtarget areas being an array of the microperforations.
 2. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the bag material is selected from thegroup of plastics consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester,nylon, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polylactic acid in monolayers,coextrusions, and laminates.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theproximal end of the bag is hermetically sealed by gathering together aproximal portion of the bag, twisting the gathered portion into a neckfolding over the neck, and securing the neck.
 4. The apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein there are 4 or 6 target areas on the bag.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the bag has a front side and a back side,and there are at least three target areas on the front side of the bagand in at least three target areas on the back side of the bag.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the box and bag contain 40 lb of bananas,and the target areas include a target area located approximately 2″ fromthe distal end of the bag, and a target area located approximately 26″from the distal end of the bag.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 1,wherein each of said microperforations has an average diameter ofbetween 150 microns and 235 microns.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the box and bag contain 50 lb of plantains and the target areasinclude a target area located approximately 1″ from the distal end ofthe bag, and a target area located approximately 17″ from the bottomseal of the bag.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein themicroperforation size is 225-230 microns.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the microperforations are of sufficient size and number to allowa total O₂ flux for the packed bananas to be within a range of 1000cc/day-atm to 500,000 cc/day-atm.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe box and bag contain 3 lb of bananas or plantains.
 12. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the box includes upper vents proximal to a topthereof and lower vents proximal to a bottom thereof; and the plasticbag is inserted in the box so as to align at least some of the targetareas of the bag with corresponding vents in the box.
 13. A packagingapparatus containing 40 lbs of bananas or plantains, and suitable forboth ripening and extending the shelf life of said bananas or plantains,the apparatus comprising: a box having upper vents proximal to a topthereof and lower vents proximal to a bottom thereof; a plastic bagplaced within the box, said plastic bag having a sealed bottom and aclosed upper end; and, 40 lbs. of bananas or plantains contained withinthe plastic bag and positioned with their concave sides facing downtoward the bottom of the box said plastic bag being lasermicroperforated in at least one upper target area on a front sidethereof 26″ up from a bottom seal thereof, at least one upper targetarea on a back side thereof 26″ up from the sealed bottom thereof, atleast one lower target area on the front side thereof 2″ up from thesealed bottom thereof, and at least one lower target area on the backside thereof 2″ up from the sealed bottom thereof, each of said targetareas including a plurality of microperforations, each of said targetareas being separated from all neighboring target areas by distancesthat are greater than a largest size of the target area, each of saidlaser microperforations having an average diameter of between 150microns and 235 microns, and each of said target areas being an array ofthe microperforations, said target areas being the only perforations onthe bag; said plastic bag being hermetically sealed by gatheringtogether a portion of the bag, twisting the gathered portion into a neckfolding the neck over on itself, and sealing the neck with a rubberband.
 14. A packaging apparatus containing bananas or plantains, andsuitable for both ripening and extending the shelf life of said bananasor plantains, the apparatus comprising: a box; a plastic bag having abottom at a sealed distal end thereof, and a closed top at a proximalend thereof; and a plurality of bananas or plantains contained withinthe plastic bag and positioned with their concave sides facing downtoward a bottom of the box; said plastic bag including lasermicroperforating located only in target areas, said target areasincluding at least one upper target area located at the top of the bagon a front side thereof, at least one upper target area located at thetop of the bag on a back side thereof, at least one lower target arealocated at the bottom of the bag on the front side thereof, and at leastone lower target area located at the bottom of the bag on the back sidethereof, each of said target areas including a plurality ofmicroperforations, each of said upper and lower target areas on thefront side of the plastic bag being separated from each other by atleast 16 inches, each of said upper and lower target areas on the backside of the plastic bag being separated from each other by at least 16inches, each of said microperforations having an average diameter ofbetween 100 microns and 400 microns, and each of said target areas beingan array of the microperforations.